Vignette attachment for photographic frames



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sl1eet 1.

L. P. ADT.

VIGNETTE ATTACHMENT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIG FRAMES. 5'7

,886. Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

N. PETERs PholwLithognpher, Washington. a. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2L JIM-Model.)

A L. F. ADT.

VIGNETTE ATTACHMENT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIO FRAMES. No. 357,886.

Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

L '1' 1 I IIWIIII 2/??? l W e F F a UNITED STATES, PATENT OFF CE.

LEO F. ADT, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

VIGNETTE ATTACHMENT FOR PHOTOGRAPHI C FRAMES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.357,88'6, dated February 15, 1887. Application filed August 16, 1856. Serial No. 210,992. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LEO F. ADT, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Vignette Attachments for Photographic Frames; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure I, a face View of the cover as applied to the frame; Fig. 2, an under side view of the cover, showing the adjusting mechanism; Fig. 3, an under side view of the cover, showing the adjustable side plates only; Fig. i, an under side view of the cover, showing the adjustable bottom plates only; Fig. 5, a longitudinal central section through the cover and frame, showing the adjustable plates as lying in their normal position; Fig. 6, the same as Fig. 5, showing the plates G H as depressed; Fig. 7, a transverse section showing the cam by which the plates G H are depressed; Fig. 8, a portion of the frame and cover, showing a side view of the clasp bywhich the two are secured together; Fig. 9, a perspective view of the clasp detached. 7

This invention relates to an improvement in photographic-printing frames, with special reference to producing the class of pictures commonly known as vignette.

In producing this class of pictures a cover isplaced upon the frame over the glass, having an opening through it, through which light is admitted upon the glass. there being a space between the cover and the glass, so that light may pass in between the cover and the glass, thus causing the print to gradually die out from the opening and produce the vi gnettelike character of pictures. The openings for different prints necessarily vary to a considerable extent, according to the size or character of the print, and hence the hole in the cover is cut larger or smaller for special occasions.

In printing it is often desirable to vary the extent to which the light is permitted beneath the cover at the bottom of the picture. To accomplish this heretofore the covers have der side of the cover.

been hinged at the top end and so as to be bodily depressed at the lower end, to bring that endnearer to or farther from the cover; but while this to some extent accomplishes the object at the bottom of the picture, it at the same time brings the cover nearer to the glass, not only at the bottom, but throughout its entire extent, so that in reducing the extent to which the light is admitted to the bottom it is necessarily reduced to a decreasing extent to the extreme top.

The object of my invention is to construct a cover for the printing-frame having an opening of maximum size, with means for contracting that opening, and also so that the lower portion of the opening may be depressed toward the glass without affecting the sides or top of the opening.

A represents the cover, flat and of any suitable material, in size corresponding to the size of the printing-frame upon which it is to be used, and through this cover is an opening,B, the extent of which is considerably larger than required for the ordinary vignette work. Upon the under side of this cover two thin plates, C

D, are hung above the upper end of the opening B and upon pivots a,so that the said plates may swing on said pivots close upon the un- The inner edge of the said plates is curved, and so that said plates being moved toward each other will contract the opening through the plate, as indicated in Fig. 3, to the extent to which the said plates are moved. If the openings be less,the plates are moved nearer together, or if greater, then the plates are separated,they being adjustable on their pivots to various positions with relation to the opening B, and so that either may be adjusted independent of the other, according to the requirements of the opening; and to conveniently adjust the plates, upon the outer side of the cover ahandle, E, is fixed to each of the pivots, (see Fig. 1,) so that by turning the handle the plates are turned accordingly.

To support the adjust-able plates in their proper relation to the under surface of the cover, a bar, F, is arranged across the cover upon its under side, and between which and the cover the ends of the plates work, as seen in Fig. 3. These two plates'adjust the width.

of the opening. To adjust the size of the opening at the bottom, two thin plates, G H, are hung upon the under side of the cover on pivots I), one at each side of the opening and in aline near the upper end of the opening,and so that the plates may swing in a plane parallel with the plane of the cover. These plates G H are each curved upon their inner edge in segment shape, as seen in Fig. 2, and, preferably, that inner edge is notched, as seen in that figurea. device common in the formation of vignetteopenings. These plates GH at their free ends lie one over the other,but so that they may slide freely toward or from each other, and they are thus adjusted by means of handles I I upon the upper side of the cover, fixed to theirrespectivepivots,as seen in Fig. 1. There fore, by turning the two plates G H toward each other, their curved edges swinging upon their respective pivots causes them to approach the upper end of the opening and contract, that opening, as seen in Fig. 1, the extent to which the opening is contracted from the bottom upward dependingupon the extent to which the plates G H are turned toward or from each other.

The platesG H lie below or under the plates 0 D, as seen in theinverted cover, Fig. 2. The plates G H are made from flexible or elastic 1naterialsueh, for instance, as a thin fine quality of pastcboard. Owing to the fact that the plates G H are hung independent of each other and their pivot-s above the lower end of the opening, it follows that the plates may be turned downward at their lower ends from the cover, as from the position in Fig. 5 to that in Fig. 6, and to thus turn the plates downward or adjust them a flat plate, J, is hung to the cover, as at (2, below the lower ends of the plates G H, and extends toward the opening between the plates and the cover, as seen in Fig. 5, and upon the plate J a spring, K, is fixed, which extends onto the reverse side of the plates G H, and so that the plates G H are grasped between the plate J and the spring K, but with a yielding hold. A spring, L, is fixed to the cover, its free end arranged to bear upon the plate J, the tendency of the spring being to force the plate J up beneath the cover, as seen in Fig. 5, yet yield for the depression of the plates, as seen in Fig. 6.

Through the plate J is an opening, M, in which a cam, N, is hung to the cover upon a pivot, e, and so as to swing in a plane parallel with the cover. The free end of this cam is inclined from right to left, as seen in Fig. 7, and so that as it is turned in either direction the incline will pass between the plate J and the cover, and act as a wedge to turn the plate J from the cover, or permit its return under the action of its spring L. The cam is thus turned by means of a handle, 1?, upon the outside of the cover fixed to its pivot. Thus constructed, the cover is set upon the printingframe, as seen in Fig. 5, the frame being constructed so that the cover will stand at a considerable distance from the glass, and the cover is secured to the frame, leaving the adjustable plates free between the cover and the glass below. Thus arranged, the operator adjusts the side plates, 0 D, to the proper position to give the required exposure around the sides of the opening, and then turns the plates G II until the required extent of opening at the bottom is attained-say as seen in Fig. 1. If, now, it is desirable to graduate the admission of light at the bottom of the-opening, the cam N is turned to depress the plate J, and consequently the lower ends of the plates G I-I say as seen in Fig. 6, the position in that figure being the extreme depression-and this adjustment at the lower end of the opening is produced without any change in the sides or top of the opening.

The adjustment of the opening may be made before the cover is placed upon the frame or after. By this arrangement of plates for the adjustment of the opening the opening may be made at any desired point within thelimits of the opening through the cover, so that should the figure in the negative not be concentric with the opening in the cover the plates may be adjusted to make the opening concentric with the figure, and the opening made to any desirable size, each adjustable plate being independent of the others.

As a convenient means forsecuring the cover to the frame, the frame is constructed with a groove, fsay at each angle, or at as many points as desirableand into this groove one leg of a U-shaped clasp, It, is introduced, the other leg upon the upper side of the cover, as seen in Fig. 8, the clasps embracing the cover and frame, so as to securely hold the two together, and so that they may be readily separated by removing the clasps These U shaped clasps are best made from elastic sheet metal, one of the clasps shown detached in Fig. 9.

For many purposes the two adjustable side plates, 0 D, may be employed without the plates G H, as seen in Fig. 8, or the plates G H may be used without the plates 0 D, as seen in Fig. 4. I therefore do notwish to limitmy invention to the necessary combination of the four plates.

The handles by which the several plates are adjusted may be omitted and the plates adjusted by applying the hand directly to the plates; but the handles permit a more convenient adjustment.

The spring K may be omitted, in which case the plates G H should be of sufficient elasticity to return them to their normal positi0u that is, flat upon the under side of the coverand so resist the depression of the plate J.

The device for adjusting the plates G H toward or from the cover may be simply a screw through the cover, as indicated at T, broken lines, Fig. 6.

I am aware that openings in vignette apparatus have been-made adjustable by means of plates; butin such devices the plates have been arranged around the opening in radial guides ing avignette-opening for photographic printing, which opening is made adjustable by means of plates movable so as to contract or expand the said opening.

I claim- 1. In a vignette attachment for photographic printing,a cover, A, adapted to be placed upon the printing-fran1e and having an opening,B, combined with the plates D, hung upon a pivot near one end of the opening and extending therefrom, one each side the opening, so as to swing in a plane parallel with the plane of the cover, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the cover A, having an opening, B, therein, the plates 0 D, hung to the cover near one end of the opening and extending from the pivots, one each side the opening, adjustable in a plane parallel with the plane of the cover, and a handle, E, fixed to the pivots of the said plates upon the opposite side of the cover, substantially as described.

3. The combination of thecover A, having an opening, B, therein, plates G H, one hung to the cover each side of said opening upon a pivot, 12, the said plates extending from the pivots below the opening and so as to swing in a plane parallel with'the plane of the cover, the inner edge of the said plates segmentshaped, the said plates made adjustable toward or from each other and so asto contract the said opening at one end, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the cover A, having an opening, B, therein, plates G H, one hung to the cover each side of said opening upon a pivot, 12, the said plates extending from the pivots below the opening and so as to swing in a plane parallel with the plane of the cover, the inner edge of the said plates segmentshaped, the said plates made adjustable toward or from each other and so as to contract the said opening at one end, with mechanism, substantially such as described, to adjust the free end of said plates toward or from the cover, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the cover A, having an opening, B; therein, the plates G H, hung one each side the said opening and so as to swing in'a plane parallel with the plane of the cover, the said plates extending from their pivots toward one end of the opening, the inner edge of the said plates of segment shape, and the said plates adjustable toward or from each other, a plate, J, hinged to the cover and extending between the said plates G H and the cover, with a cam arranged to act upon said plate to turn it toward or from the cover and correspondingly adjust the said plates G H, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the cover A, having an opening, B, therein, the two plates G H, hung to the cover upon opposite sides of said opening and arranged to swing in a plane parallel with the plane of the cover, their inner edge of segment shape, with a handle, I,

fixed to the pivot of each plate upon the opposite side of the cover, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination of the cover A, the plates 0 D and G H, each hung to the cover so as to swing in a plane parallel with the plane of the cover, the said plates 0 D extending one each side the opening, and the plates G H also extending in the same direc tion, but of segment shape upon their inner edge, the plate J, hinged to the cover and extending between the said plates G H and the cover, so as to bear upon said plates G H, a spring, K, on said plate arranged to bear upon the reverse side of said plates G H, so as to grasp said plates G H between said spring K and plate J, with mechanism, substantially such as described, to adjust the said plate J, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination of the cover A, having an opening, B, therein, and with plates hung to said cover to swing in a plane parallel therewith, whereby the size of said opening may be adjusted, a photographic-printing framehaving groovesfformed therein,with U shaped spring-clasps B, one leg adapted to enter the grooves in the frame and the other to embrace the cover to secure the two together, substantially as described.

9. In a photographic-printing frame, the combination of the cover A, having an opening, 13, therein, plates pivoted to the under ICO side of said cover at a point above the bottom of the opening and so as to swing in a plane parallel with the plane of said cover, the free ends of said plates extending below the bottom of the opening in the cover, the said plates by their swinging movement adapted to adjust the extent of the lower portion of the opening in the cover, and with mechanism, substantially such as described, to depress the free ends of the said adjustable plates to a greater or less extent from said cover, substantially as and for the purpose described.

10. In a vignette attachment for photographic printing, a cover adapted to be placed upon the printing-frame, a plate across the bot-tom or lower end of the opening upon the under side of said cover, the said plate adjustable up' and down from said cover and with relation to said opening, with mechanism for so adjusting said plate, substantially as described.

LEO 1 ADT.

IIO 

